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Recommend, Suggest, Advise: Verbs That Have Multiple Sentence Patterns

December 10, 2015

Some verbs in English have quite a variety of sentence patterns associated with them. For verbs of suggestion such as recommend, suggest, and advise, these patterns evolved to reflect the focus of the suggestion.

If the speaker is suggesting a place or a thing, these verbs are followed by a noun. For an activity, they can be followed by a gerund. For a focus on who the suggestion pertains to, they’re followed by a pronoun or noun (person) either after the verb (advise) or at the end of a sentence with “to” (recommend, suggest). These verbs are also possible in the subjunctive mood—with a noun clause that contains a base verb.

First off, do your students know the meanings of recommend, suggest, and advise? These verbs are all used when one person wants to tell someone else what he or she should do. While these words can be interchangeable, there are slight meaning and usage differences.

  • Advise is the most formal and is used with subjects like doctor, teacher, counselor, government official, etc.
  • Suggest is more informal and is used to express an idea or opinion.
  • Recommend is more personal and is used when the speaker is giving a suggestion based on personal experience.

Now we’re ready to examine all the possible sentence patterns for these verbs.

1. Followed by a noun object

Pattern: recommend/suggest/advise + noun
Examples:
  • He recommended the restaurant down the street.
  • The designer suggested the color blue for the living room.
  • My doctor advised exercise after my heart attack.

Note: If we also want to include who the suggestion is being made to, we can follow the noun object with to + person. Students often make the mistake of putting to + person directly after the verb, but while this is possible in other languages, it is incorrect (or at least very awkward!) in English for recommend and suggest. For advise, see the next section.

  • He recommended the restaurant down the street to us(correct)
  • He recommended to us the restaurant down the street. (incorrect)
  • He suggested the restaurant down the street to his neighbor(correct)
  • He suggested to his neighbor the restaurant down the street. (incorrect)

2. Followed by a pronoun

Pattern: advise + pronoun
Examples:
  • The manager advised us on the new protocols.
  • His counselor will advise him to start applying to the local colleges.

Note: Unlike recommend and suggest, advise can also be followed by a noun that refers to the person getting the advice. Also, to + pronoun and to + person at the end of the sentence with advise is possible in some cases, but it can sound a bit awkward and is best avoided or reworded.

  • The manager advised us on the protocols. (correct)
  • The manager advised the employees on the protocols. (correct)
  • The doctor advised exercise to her patient. (possible, but not as common)
  • The doctor advised exercise to us. (possible, but not as common)

3. Followed by a gerund

Pattern: recommend/suggest/advise + gerund
Examples:
  • The concierge recommends taking a guided tour of the island.
  • She suggested shopping at farmers markets instead of grocery stores.
  • Health experts don’t advise swimming right after eating.

Note: Point out to students that the Noun + Infinitive rule overrides the gerund rule in almost all cases. Though advise is followed by a gerund (e.g., My teacher advised studying), we must use an infinitive if we include a noun/pronoun object in the sentence (e.g., My teacher advised us to study). For more information and examples, see Gerunds and Infinitives: Helpful Teaching Tips.

4. Followed by a noun clause (the subjunctive mood)

Pattern: verb of suggestion + that + subject + base verb
Examples:
  • My friend recommended that he take a taxi home from the party.
  • The sales clerk suggested that she put the dress on hold.
  • She is advising that we finish our project today.

When verbs with the general meaning of “suggestion” (including advise, ask, demand, insist, prefer, propose, recommend, request, suggest, and urge) are used with a noun clause, we must use a base verb. The noun clause usually starts with the word that and contains a subject, base verb, and possibly an object. The noun clause usually occupies the object position of the main sentence: S + V + (that + S + V + O).

Make sure you give your students examples where the main verb is in another tense such as the simple past—this way, they can clearly see the verb in the noun clause is a base verb and not another past verb. It is also helpful to include examples where the subject of the noun clause is in the third person singular so that students are really clear it’s a base verb (and doesn’t take an ‑s ending). For more information and examples, see Tips for Teaching the Subjunctive.

Note: We can drop “that” from a noun clause, especially when speaking quickly or in informal speaking and writing. There is no change in meaning (i.e., My friend recommended that we take a taxi home and My friend recommended we take a taxi home are identical in meaning).

Related on ESL Library

Looking for practice with recommend, suggest, and advise? Try our Discussion Starters lesson on Food Labels. This advanced-level lesson includes an exercise to practice the various sentence patterns for these verbs.

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Comments (79)

Shinay Kim(Guest)

What an excellent source this is!
Thank you so much for your explanation.
This was exactly what I was looking for.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Thanks a lot! I'm glad it helped.

soheil Ibrahimi zare(Guest)

Once i have read,
"Don't use an object pronoun immediately after recommend, it sounds terrible to a native English speaker, really terrible.
Now my question is about the following question, is it correct?
"I recommend IT to everyone"
By the abovementioned grammar rule, it is not correct; however, by tuition it is correct.
Thanks

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Soheil, great question! That rule applies only to the person you're recommending something to, not the object you're recommending. Using "it" in place of a noun as the direct object (what you're recommending) is absolutely correct!

Apologies for the late reply. I didn't get notified about your comment and I only noticed it now.

Kate (Guest)

This was the most helpful among everything that I looked up! Thank you very much!!!!

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Thank you for your kind words, Kate.

Monica Thompson(Guest)

Thanks a lot!! Your explanation has been really clear to me.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Great! Thanks for commenting, Monica.

Deni (Guest)

Thank you for this valuable grammar explanation. I still need some help. Can you give me some example sentence that use the verb suggest/advise/recommend in present simple tense?

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Deni,

Here are some more examples in the simple present.

  • Every day, our teacher recommends extra homework.
  • Every day, our teacher recommends doing extra homework.
  • Every day, our teacher recommends that we do extra homework.

  • My parents always suggest money-saving techniques.

  • My parents always suggest saving money.

  • My parents always suggest that I save money.

  • My coworker often advises late nights at work.

  • My coworker often advises me to work late.

  • My coworker often advises working late.

  • My coworker often advises that I work late.

Hope that helps!

Deni (Guest)

Thank you for the reply.
Please correct my example if you see any grammar mistake. 'I would recommend that he buy a laptop instead of a smartphone.'

1) Do I necessarily need 'that' before 'he'?
2) Is that correct that we don't add the final 'S' at the verb 'buy' in such sentences?

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Deni,

You can drop 'that.' It's usually optional in these cases. It's correct not to add an -s. We use a base verb in that position. See point #4 above (the subjunctive mood).

Denny (Guest)

I like the explanation which is based on its base concept, and I get such explanation here.

Thank you very much!

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    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thanks, Denny!

    Makan (Guest)

    Hello Tanya

    Is it right to say:

    I recommended him to study his lessons.
    ?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Makan,

    No, that's not possible. You need the subject pronoun 'he' or 'to' before the object pronoun. The following examples are correct:

    1. I recommended he study his lessons.
    2. I recommended studying to him.

    For more information on the subjunctive (used in example #1 above), see this blog post: https://blog.ellii.com/2013/05/02/tips-for-teaching-the-subjunctive/

    Mr Muhammad Shaban(Guest)

    Thanks a lot for your great explanation.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're very welcome.

    Tiara (Guest)

    Thank you verry much for your explanation. Miss Tanya

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    My pleasure, Tiara!

    jim (Guest)

    Hello Taniya,
    Would you mind helping me with the following sentences.
    1. 'This suggests the idea that the cheese is still hot and the cheeseburger has just been assembled.'
    In this sentence is 'that the cheese is still hot and the cheeseburger has just been assembled' a noun clause or adjective clause?
    2. This image gives the message to young women that we can eat a lot and still look great.
    In this sentence is 'that we can eat a lot and still look great' a noun clause or adjective clause?
    3. The ad seems to suggest to young men that they'll meet good-looking women if they eat at Carl Jr.'s.
    In this sentence is 'that they'll meet good-looking women if they eat at Carl Jr.'s. ' a noun clause?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Jim,

    1 is an adjective clause. It follows the object noun 'idea.' 2 is also an adjective clause. It modifies the object noun 'message' (which is also followed by the prepositional phrase 'to young women' before the adjective clause). 3 is a noun clause. It acts as the object (i.e., it replaces a noun) of the verb 'suggest' (which is followed by the prepositional phrase 'to young men' before the noun clause).

    You can learn more about adjective clauses here: https://blog.ellii.com/2014/05/08/restrictive-non-restrictive-adjective-clauses/. I plan to blog about noun clauses soon too.

    Hope that helps!

    May (Guest)

    Hi Tanya,
    could you explain this, please:
    I suggest...the blue coat rather than the pink one.
    a)that you should wear b) you wore c)you to wear
    The correct answer is A, but I'm not sure why.
    Thanks

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Maya,

    Answer A is an example of #4 above (followed by a noun clause) because 'that' introduces the noun clause, 'you' is the subject, and 'should wear' is the verb. You may have been confused because it is repetitive to say both 'suggest' and 'should' since they have similar meanings, so a better choice would be 'I suggest that you wear the blue coat rather than the pink one.' Remember that we often drop 'that' from a noun clause, so 'I suggest you wear the blue coat rather than the pink one' is also correct. As mentioned above in #3 above, a gerund is also possible, so you could also say 'I suggest wearing the blue coast rather than the pink one.'

    'I suggest' is in the present tense in your example, which makes the meaning about the present or the future, so choice B is wrong because it's a past verb. Choice C is also wrong because these verbs of suggestion can be followed by a gerund but not by an infinitive (and especially not by a subject + infinitive).

    Hope that helps!

    Fari (Guest)

    How do you treat this:
    A professional unit is recommended be used to control the problem.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Fari,

    Good question. I would stay away from the double passive you've used above (in the main verb and for the subjunctive verb). You could either keep the subjunctive verb in the passive (i.e., They recommended a professional unit be used to control the problem) or keep the main verb passive (i.e., A professional unit is recommended to control the problem / The use of a professional unit is recommended to control the problem).

    Silvia G.(Teacher)

    Short and sweet! Thanks a lot!

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're so welcome! Thanks for commenting, Silvia.

    Denn San(Guest)

    Hi. In the examples for Subjunctive, it says 'advisin_'. You may want to to correct it. Thanks for the great source!

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Denn San,

    Thanks for pointing that out! It's fixed now. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know!

    Luci Tyrrell(Guest)

    Really great explanation. Thanks! :)

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're welcome, Luci! Glad you found it helpful.

    Hanan A.(Teacher)

    Thanks a lot.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're most welcome, Hanan!

    Thao N.(Member)

    May I ask? How can I change the sentence into
    passive form: "He suggested she buy a new car."?
    A. It is suggested a new car be bought.
    B. Buying a new car was suggested to her.
    C. She was suggested buying a new car.
    D. She was suggested to buy a new car.
    Thank a lot in advance.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Thao,

    It depends on which element of the sentence you want to change into the passive form. Honestly, they're all a bit awkward since there's so much going on already with the subjunctive form. I'd recommend avoiding the subjunctive and the passive in the same sentence! But if you have to do it, there are three options:

    First element: It was suggested that she buy a new car.
    Second element: He suggested that a new car be bought (for her).
    Both elements: It was suggested that a new car be bought (for her).

    Thao N.(Member)

    Thank you so much Ms Trusler

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're welcome, Thao!

    Thao N.(Member)

    And "She was suggested to buy a new car.". Is it ok?
    I' ve seen the same structure "Julia Robert was suggested to play Harriet Tubman"
    https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/lifestyle/entertainment/julia-roberts-was-suggested-to-play-harriet-tubman-in-biopic-writer-claims/

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Good question! That's actually a different structure. It's common to hear the phrase "suggest someone for the part" for actors and actresses in movies and on TV. In that situation, you would have "person (subject) + verb + person (object)" in the active sentence, and "person (object) + passive verb + (by someone)" in the passive sentence. Let's take a look:

    • The head of casting suggested Julia Roberts for the role of Harriet Tubman. (active)
    • Julia Roberts was suggested (by the head of casting) for the role of Harriet Tubman. (passive)

    This doesn't work the same way in your first example because "she" isn't an object—"she" is the subject of the noun clause "she (S) buy (V) a new car (O)." Refer back to point #2 in the blog post, and you'll see that "advise" can take a person object but "recommend" and "suggest" cannot.

    • I suggested (that) she buy a new car. (active)
    • I suggested (that) a new car be bought (by her). (passive)
    • She was suggested to buy a new car. (incorrect)

    Thao Nguyen(Guest)

    Thanks for your help. I can get it.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    I'm happy to hear it, Thao!

    Alberto Avigdor(Guest)

    Tanya: Good afternoon, please can you tell me if this sentence is right:
    Mr. John suggested me reading English books.
    I know you can say: Mr. John suggested reading English books or Mr. John suggested me that I read English books.

    I appreciate your clarification before hand.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Alberto,

    Don't forget that suggest and recommend (along with "say") can't take a direct object that's a person. We could never say "suggest me," "recommend me," or "say me." You can use a direct object with advise, tell, and ask ("advise me," "tell me," and "ask me").

    To have a person after the verb "suggest," you need a noun clause (subject-verb-object), and therefore we need "I" (subject pronoun), not "me" (object pronoun). This verb can also take a gerund ("reading"). So your sentence "Mr. John suggested reading English books" is correct, but the rest are not. Here are some correct sentences:

    • Mr. John suggested I read English books.
    • Mr. John suggested that I read English books.
    • Mr. John suggested reading English books.
    • Mr. John suggested reading English books to me.

    Hope that helps!

    marco biti(Guest)

    In #2 it's not clear, though, whether you can say "the doctor advised us exercise". I would personally rephrase it to "advised us to do some exercise"

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Marco, good point. You can never have a noun or pronoun followed by another noun or pronoun without a comma or conjunction separating it. It would be correct with a preposition, such as "The doctor advised exercise for us." Your rewrite also works well, using an infinitive and a noun.

    Md. Afzal H.(Member)

    I am new in this blog. Please can anyone help me solve a problem? What is the passive voice of the sentence: "He recommended banning wine."
    Is the following answer correct?
    "Banning wine was recommended by him."

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Yes, that would be the correct passive sentence: "Banning wine was recommended by him." Good job! For more tips and examples of the passive voice, try this blog post: https://ellii.com/blog/the-passive-voice

    Sabrina Burke(Guest)

    I have a question. If someone had said for example "She recommends that spit up and drool doesn't sit on the fold of her neck" would using recommend be the correct word to use in that sentence or would the word be suggests?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Sabrina, great question. With the conjugated negative verb "doesn't sit" in the second clause, "recommends" sounds the most natural. However, it would sound even more natural to use a negative gerund here—in which case any of the verbs would sound natural: "She recommends/suggests/advises not letting spit-up or drool sit in the fold of the neck for too long."

    Maryneh N.(Member)

    Thank you so much for your explanation
    It was so helpful for me

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    I'm so glad to hear that, Maryneh! Thanks for your comment.

    MD SAHIL(Guest)

    Great Article! Thank u for sharing this article

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're welcome! Thanks for commenting.

    Arthur M.(Teacher)

    This blog post was extremely useful and straightforward. Thanks for the invaluable content !!

    Reply to Comment

    Lei Kayanuma(Author)

    Thanks, Arthur! We're happy to hear that you enjoyed this blog post!

    Farheen F.(Member)

    Hi Tanya,
    Could you please explain me the form of the sentence below:

    Personally, I recommend staying in a B&B, it’s much cheaper.

    Thanks 😊

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Farheen, your sentence involves the verb "recommend" followed by a gerund ("staying"). See rule #3 in the main post for more examples.

    Note that you can't have a comma to separate two independent clauses in English. Here are some options to make your sentence correct:
    - Personally, I recommend staying in a B&B. It’s much cheaper.
    - Personally, I recommend staying in a B&B because it’s much cheaper.
    - Personally, I recommend staying in a B&B—it’s much cheaper.
    - Personally, I recommend staying in a B&B; it’s much cheaper.

    They are all good choices (and all have the same meaning). The last one with the semicolon (;) is a bit more formal. Hope that helps!

    Sokhiba K.(Teacher)

    Hi?
    I can't even understand that is true or not:
    My friends recommended me to join or joining the channel "blabla" to check my english grammar every sunday. What can I use after recommend me?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Sokhiba, the verb "recommend" is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive. Also, when you want to include a noun person with the verb "recommend," you'll need to add "to me" after the noun object (or at the end of the sentence), not right after the verb.
    - My friends recommended joining the channel "blabla" to me to check my English grammar every Sunday.
    - My friends recommended joining the channel "blabla" to check my English grammar every Sunday to me.

    You could also follow pattern #4:
    - My friends recommended that I join the channel "blabla" to check my English grammar every Sunday.

    Hope that helps!

    Zeinab W W.(Member)

    Thanks a lot, it was clear and straightforward to understand easily

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    I'm happy to hear that, Zeinab! Thanks for your comment.

    NATHUBHAI Patel (Guest)

    Best grammar points

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thank you, Nathubhai! I'm glad this post was helpful.

    Sam Walker(Guest)

    I have a question: "we talked yesterday and I recommended... a good quality bicycle rather than a cheap one" (him to buy/buying) which one is correct? What about the subjunctive mood ?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Great question, Sam! There are two correct, natural sentences you can make here:

    • We talked yesterday and I recommended a good quality bicycle rather than a cheap one. (recommend + noun)
    • We talked yesterday and I recommended (that) he buy a good quality bicycle rather than a cheap one. (subjunctive mood: recommend + subject + base verb; note that you can drop "that" from the subjunctive noun clause for a slightly more casual sentence)

    We wouldn't use a "person" object pronoun (e.g., him) after the verb recommend. Stick with a "thing" object pronoun or a subjunctive noun clause (S + base V + O). Hope that helps!

    Jane Smiths(Guest)

    Thank you for sharing

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're welcome, Jane!

    Hetvi Patel(Guest)

    Hi Tanya,
    Could you tell me that following sentence is in correct way
    I recommend my daughter watch the movie for its educational value.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Hetvi, your sentence is correct! Great job!

    Nik A(Guest)

    Thanks, very useful and very simple......♥️♥️♥️♥️

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thank you, Nik!

    Nik A(Guest)

    It's very valuable and clear grammar explanation.I have a question about 'would recommend' : is it used with these patterns or need another pattern?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    That's a really good question, Nik! The answer is that "recommend" follows the patterns mentioned in the post no matter what tense or modal is used with it. So we can use "would recommend + noun," "would recommend + gerund," or "would recommend + noun clause (subjunctive mood)."

    Emmanuel I.(Member)

    thank you for helping us Tanya. Warm Greetings from Rwanda

    Reply to Comment

    Emmanuel I.(Member)

    Tanya, thank you for this educative contribution

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thank you for your kind comments, Emmanuel!

    Fengzhi Hu(Guest)

    It's very clear, thank you very much.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    That's great to hear!

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